How To Make Fresh Pasta Dough in the Food Processor

Want to make pasta, but lack the motivation to do all that mixing and kneading by hand? No problem. If you have a food processor, you can have a batch of pasta dough ready in about two minutes flat.

The fast-working action of the food processor blade mixes those eggs into the flour faster than your fingers ever could — and gives the dough a good kneading at the same time. The resulting dough is soft and supple. After a short rest, it's ready to be rolled and cut into fettuccine, ravioli wrappers, or whatever your pasta-loving heart desires.

After making pasta the old-school way for many years, I've come to really love making a quick batch in the food processor. Maybe it's only a mental thing — making the dough by hand doesn't really take that much time. To me, making it in the food processer just makes homemade pasta feel more accessible and manageable: an everyday affair instead of something reserved for only special occasions.

Hey, make it by hand or make it in the food processor — either way, you still get fresh pasta for dinner. And that is never a bad thing!

Combine the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment. Pulse a few times to combine.

How to Make Pasta in the Food Processor

Makes about 1 pound pasta dough; enough pasta for 4-6 servings

What You Need

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs

Equipment
Measuring cups and spoons
Food processor

Instructions

Combine the flour and salt. Combine the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment. Pulse a few times to combine.

Add the eggs. Crack the eggs on top of the flour.

Process for 30-60 seconds. Put the lid on the food processor and process for 30-60 seconds until the dough comes together into a rough ball.

If dry, add water. If the dough doesn't come together after a minute and looks like small pebbles or cous cous, add a teaspoon of water and process again. Repeat until the dough comes together.

If sticky, add flour. If the dough is sticky and smears against the sides of the bowl, add a tablespoon of flour and process again. Repeat until the dough comes together.

Knead the dough into a smooth ball. Remove the dough from the food processor. Knead against the counter a few times until it comes together into a smooth ball.

Rest the dough for 30 minutes. Dust the dough with a little flour and place it in a small mixing bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

Emma is the recipe editor for The Kitchn and a graduate of the Cambridge School for Culinary Arts. She is the author of True Brews and Brew Better Beer (Spring 2015). Check out her personal blog for more cooking stories.